Australian DIY superstore Bunnings Warehouse opened its first UK outlet on Thursday.
Stocking over 30,000 products for home improvements and gardens, the store will also be bringing its famous fundraising Sausage Sizzle to Britain.
Hungover Philanthropist customers can raise money for various charities by chomping on pork sausage sandwiches drenched in ketchup before hitting the power tools aisle at the weekends.
Peter ‘PJ’ Davis, managing director of Bunnings UK and Ireland, said: “It’s great to be able to give people a taste of what Bunnings is all about.
“Our policy is to offer customers the lowest prices, the widest range and best service, and hopefully our first pilot store demonstrates that.”
A parody Twitter account has already predicted the Sausage Sizzle may have trouble getting off the ground in the UK...
The store, on the site of the former Homebase in St Albans, Hertfordshire, employs 68 people, almost double the workforce of the previous establishment.
The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500million rolling out the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.
A second Bunnings Warehouse in Hatfield Road, St Albans, will open in April and the group is on track to have at least four pilots up and running by summer.
Complex Manager Andy Kenwrick, said: “The team has worked incredibly hard over the past three months to transform the store. They have had more than 3,000 hours training on everything from timber and key cutting to product knowledge and health and safety. We’ve even trained our own baristas for the café. Now we just can’t wait to get started.”
The store, on Griffiths Way, features timber cutting, a new inspiring tool shop offering world leading brands including Ryobi and DeWalt, a ‘colour wall’ with over 3,000 colour tiles – as well as paint mixing from Johnstone’s Trade, Crown and Dulux offering an unlimited paint colour choice to customers.